The present invention relates generally to fan shrouds for use in combination with heat exchangers, such as radiators, and more particularly to a structure for attaching a fan shroud to a core of a heat exchanger.
In the automotive industry, fan shrouds are widely used today to cover the back faces of heat exchangers, such as radiators and condensers, to increase the flow of air drawn through the heat exchanger core by a fan.
The fan shroud is typically mounted to the heat exchanger with a plurality of fasteners or other attaching elements. The fasteners may be bolts threaded into apertures in the heat exchanger. Alternatively, there may be one or more threaded studs extending from the heat exchanger over which the fan shroud is placed, with one or more nuts being threaded down to clamp the fan shroud in place. Other structures are known that do not rely, at least exclusively, on such conventional fasteners. Representative disclosures of such structures include Bryson et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,121, Bryson at al U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,202, Nakamura U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,836 and Baader U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,418.
While many of those known mounting and attachment structures may perform satisfactorily for their intended purpose, there is always room for improvement.
In accordance with the invention a self-fixturing fan shroud is provided for use with a heat exchanger assembly. The heat exchanger assembly includes an upper horizontal surface, a lower, upwardly opening, horizontal channel, and at least one core extending between the upper horizontal surface and the channel. The at least one core has a front face, a back face, and air flow passages extending from the front face to the back face.
In one embodiment the fan shroud comprises a covering portion having an opening disposed therethrough. The opening is of a predetermined size sufficient to receive a fan. An upper horizontal flange extends from the covering portion to rest on the upper horizontal surface of the heat exchanger assembly to vertically locate the fan shroud relative to the heat exchanger assembly. A lower vertical flange extends downwardly from the covering portion to be received in the lower horizontal channel of the heat exchanger assembly to restrict movement of the fan shroud away from the heat exchanger assembly.
In one form of the invention, the upper horizontal flange of the fan shroud extends substantially the length of the at least one core.